SUBSTITUTABILITY AMONG SPECIES IN THE JAPANESE TUNA MARKET: A COINTEGRATION ANALYSIS

This paper examines two sets of hypotheses concerning the existence and the cause of the long-run, inter-species price relationships in the Japanese tuna market. A shock variable is introduced into the system to determine the degree of influence on the price relationships as well as the magnitude of the power in explaining the variation in prices of tuna species. Although in most cases the coefficient estimates of the shock variable are statistically significant, overall, the variable does not have significant explanatory power in both bivariate and multivariate regressions. We also find that the degree of substitutability between bigeye and albacore is substantially lower than the degree of substitutability between bigeye and yellowfin and, yellowfin and albacore.Industrial Organization, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Are Small-scale Fishers in Oman Technically Efficient? The Case of Al-Batinah Coastal Fisheries

This paper examines technical efficiency and the potential factors affecting it in small-scale harvesting operations involving five key commercial demersal species of Al Batinah coastal fisheries, Oman. A stochastic production frontier (SPF) approach was applied to a pooled data covering the period 2010-2016. There is strong evidence of a considerable extent of technical inefficiency and overutilization of fishing effort (fishing hours). The results from the technical inefficiency model suggested that geographical location and interannual fluctuation of stock were significantly affecting fishers’ efficiency. Finally, the empirical results are discussed along with policy implications and the suitability of the Stochastic Production Frontier (SPF) approach to technical efficiency analysis in small-scale fisheries

Seafood safety and quality: an analysis of the supply chain in the Sultanate of Oman

The globalization of trade in fish has created many challenges for the developing world specifically with regard to food safety and quality. International organisations have established a good basis for standards in international trade. Whilst these requirements are frequently embraced by the major importers (such as Japan, the EU and the USA), they often impose additional safety requirements and regularly identify batches which fail to meet their strict standards. Creating an effective national seafood control system which meets both the internal national needs as well the requirements for the export market can be challenging. Many countries adopt a dual system where seafood products for the major export markets are subject to tight control whilst the majority of the products (whether for the local market or for more regional trade) are less tightly controlled. With regional liberalization also occurring, deciding on appropriate controls is complex. In the Sultanate of Oman, fisheries production is one of the countries' chief sources of economic revenue after oil production and is a major source of the national food supply. In this paper the structure of the fish supply chain has been analysed and highlighted the different routes operating for the different markets. Although much of the fish are consumed within Oman, there is a major export trade to the local regional markets. Much smaller quantities meet the more stringent standards imposed by the major importing countries and exports to these are limited. The paper has considered the development of the Omani fish control system including the key legislative documents and the administrative structures that have been developed. Establishing modern controls which satisfy the demands of the major importers is possible but places additional costs on businesses. Enhanced controls such as HACCP and other management standards are required but can be difficult to justify when alternative markets do not specify these. These enhanced controls do however provide additional consumer protection and can bring benefits to local consumers. The Omani government is attempting to upgrade the system of controls and has made tremendous progress toward the implementation of HACCP and introducing enhanced management systems into its industrial sector. The existence of strengthened legislative and government support, including subsidies, has encouraged some businesses to implement HACCP. The current control systems have been reviewed and a SWOT analysis approach used to identify key factors for their future development. The study shows that seafood products in the supply chain are often exposed to lengthy handling and distribution process before reaching the consumers, a typical issue faced by many developing countries. As seafood products are often perishable, they safety is compromised if not adequately controlled. The enforcement of current food safety laws in the Sultanate of Oman is shared across various government agencies. Consequently, there is a need to harmonize all regulatory requirements, enhancing the domestic food protection and to continue to work towards a fully risk-based approach in order to compete successfully in the global market

Do Regulatory Policy Measures Affect Seafood Exports to the EU? Empirical Evidence from Oman

As net exporter of seafood products, investigation of potential impacts of domestic regulatory measures such as ban on export of certain fish species and ban on demersal trawl fishing on seafood export performance is of eminent practical importance to Oman. To this aim, the main purpose of this empirical work is to examine the influence of regulatory policy measures on Oman’s seafood export supply to the European Union (EU) market covering the period 2001-2015. Influences of other potential economic factors such as relative price, production capacity, gross domestic product and seasonality are also investigated under a partial adjustment modeling (PAM) framework through the use of multiple regression techniques. It is found that the regulatory policy measures and the relative price variable are significantly affecting the export supply. The result in relation to export ban suggests that such measures generate competition between the domestic and the EU market. The empirical result also indicates a considerable time lag in export supply. The policy implications of the results are also discussed in the paper. Management authorities, policy makers and seafood companies of the respective countries may find these results useful for formulating appropriate strategies to address such concerns

Community-Based Marine Resource Management: A Case Study in the Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea

This paper describes a community-based management methodology that was used to promote the sustainable management of marine resources, especially sea cucumbers, within a village in the Trobriand Islands, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. While recognising traditional and customary knowledge and systems, the methodology encouraged increased participation of resource users in decision-making. This was achieved by empowering community members to assess the awareness of their problems and to develop a plan to solve these problems. The community developed a marine resource management plan that included conservation and development objectives, and associated actions, to achieve the sustainable use of their marine resources. The community-based management methodology was successful in mobilising the community to take some actions to conserve their surrounding marine habitats and resources. As in other uses of this management approach, it is clear that certain conditions need to be met in order to increase the chances of developing and sustaining successful community-based marine resource management arrangements in the Trobriand Islands in the future.Keywords: Community-based management, Papua New Guinea, Sustainability, Trobriand Islands, Beche-de-me

Price volatility of south-east fishery's quota species: an empirical analysis

This study investigates the autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (ARCH) and generalized-ARCH (GARCH) effects in the price series of Australian South-East Fishery's quota species. It is found that in all cases significant ARCH and/or GARCH effects are present. To search for the origins of these effects a weakly exogenous variable (trading volume) is introduced to the conditional variance equation of the ARCH and GARCH models, provided that such effects are observed in the first stage of investigation. It is found that in 14 cases the estimated coefficients of the trading volume are negative. In all cases, the 'trading volume' variable does not contribute to the removal of the ARCH and/or GARCH effects. Finally, the policy implications of the findings are discussed.JEL Classification: C3, D4, D8, Q0, Price volatility, Sydney fish market, South-east fishery, Australia,

Stakeholder's views on fisheries compliance: An Australian case study

This study presents the results of a field survey that focused on the views of Tasmanian abalone fishery stakeholders (commercial and non-commercial divers, processor, enforcement agency and management) with regards to non-compliance in the abalone fishery. The primary data was collected through 22 face-to-face interviews with stakeholders and the Wilcoxon's signed-rank test was used to determine if significant differences existed between the means of responses from primary and secondary stakeholders. It was found that there is no significant difference in mean responses of primary and secondary stakeholders in regard to the factors that have the potential in influencing the non-compliance in the fishery. The similarity of views between the regulators and resource users on the source and nature of non-compliance in the fishery would form the basis for improved compliance strategies.Fisheries Compliance Stakeholders' view